Key West Fishing Reports
Updated fishing reports from the Lower Florida Keys & Key West
Archive for Key West Sport Fishing
January 29, 2008 at 1:46 am · Filed under Florida Keys Fishing, Key West Flats Fishing, Key West Sport Fishing
The latest cold front has given us a blast of cooler air with temps in the 60s at night. This latest front has not been hard on the fish, harder on the anglers who head offshore to bounce around in the waves.
Inshore fish include permit, jacks, barracuda, sharks, cero mackerel, ladyfish and sea trout. This is the usual winter fare on the flats and in the backcountry basins. An occasional cobia may cruise by the Gulf edge and be found hanging around a lonely coral head. Water temps can reach 75 by weeks end and maybe we’ll see some tarpon. Last week there were plenty of guides who had their shots at tarpon in Key West all the way to Big Pine Key.
Offshore anglers can count on king mackerel along the reef edge plus mutton and yellowtail snapper down deep on the bar. West of Key West was hot for wahoo a few days ago. There are a few tuna on the Sub and End of the Bar areas. Sailfish are still cruising the color change in 180-250 ft. Take your live ballyhoo for a shot at a sail.
Winds are expected to switch to the Southeast tomorrow which can bring in a push of dolphin to the waters just off the Keys. This is a welcome addition to our array of fish in the blue water.
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October 20, 2007 at 1:14 pm · Filed under Key West Sport Fishing, Florida Fishing Weekly
KEY WEST – Keeping our fingers crossed and praying for a the first real cold front to roll through is all we can do this week in the Lower Keys. It’s October and although Mother Nature gave us one bite of fall, the sweaty weather is still here.
This week the conditions offshore were not favorable for any small craft so many captains used the protection of the reef to their advantage to catch some nice fish.
“We stayed tucked up on the reef,” said Capt. Rush Maltz of Odyssea Fishing Charters.
The reef fishing has been very good lately with just the perfect amount of current. The water color is a little dirty on the reef which makes for perfect conditions for yellowtail snapper fishing.
Maltz also reported that the bait supply is plentiful right now. He has been netting pilchards in the morning before heading offshore. Maltz did mention that it may take some time to find the bait because there are not as many birds around. Diving pelicans are a dead giveaway to a school of bait traveling in the shallows along the south side of Key West.
Although Maltz utilizes live bait on a daily basis for bending rods on his boat, he also has been having some great success using artificial lures. Tsunami swimming baits have been working very well on the reef for these 2- to 3- pound yellowtail snapper. Tsunami baits are gummy and come rigged with a weighted head and a strong Mustad Ultra Point hook.
Capt. Brice Barr on the Double Down out of Key West’s Charter Boat Row also spent some of this weeks rougher weather days hugging the reef in search of calmer water. Barr reported having some good luck also with yellowtail and mutton snapper. His anglers this week also landed a 35- pound cobia and release three other cobia that were undersized.
Although Barr has not tried to mess with catching live bait in the early mornings just yet, he says the time is almost here to start netting bait and head offshore in search of tuna and sailfish.
Tuna have been moving through the area again this week but as Barr explained, they were simply on the move.
“We tried everything to get them to bite,” Barr said.
Barr explained that once there is even more bait in the area and the water stays cooler the tuna will hang around longer and be more willing to bite.
The first few tuna that do show up here in the Lower Keys are more apt to bite a dead bait that is being trolled rather than a live pilchard. Therefore the larger charter boats tend to do better early in the season on tuna before the fish get conditioned to seeing pilchards in the deep water.
So far most of the captains have said the fishing to the east of Key West has been more productive. Later in the season a lot of the action will turn to the west near the end of the Boca Grande Bar.
For more information on fishing with Capt. Brice Barr, contact him at 305-304-2314.
The offshore waters seem to have all the right ingredients for a terrific fall season underway. The inshore flats and bays have had their fair share of great fishing too.
The shallow water fishing can be very under rated during the latter part of the year. So much focus has always been on the staple months of April, May and June for tarpon that the rest of the year just does not get enough visiting anglers.
Fact is the fall season can pack some of the best shallow water fishing available and without the pressure of high season.
Tarpon should not be your prime target in October, but they are certainly still available. Some guides are still hooking some monsters in the deeper channels around Key West Harbor. We categorize these as ‘resident’ tarpon.
Permit and bonefish on the other hand should be on the top of an anglers list. Permit are a more prominent species in the Lower Keys and for a change we are also seeing a lot more large bonefish.
In addition to the big three, there are plenty of fun fish on the flats for anglers of all abilities. Barracuda, various species of sharks, redfish and snook are available.
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May 23, 2007 at 7:22 pm · Filed under Key West Sport Fishing, Key West Deep Sea Fishing
Well the sun is supposed to be shining down on us by now. Instead we’ve got a front lingering over the Keys causing havoc in the form of 25 to 35 mph winds. Yuck.
Despite the wind ripping out of the north east, dolphin fishing offshore has been pretty hot. Mahi-Mahi up to 35- pounds are being caught off Key West, plus the occasional wahoo and sailfish. The dolphin are still in close so take advantage of it before the summer heat strikes and they move farther offshore.
Tuna fishing behind the shrimp boats is a long haul for most captains. Last report was 80 miles in the Gulf one way! The good news is many of the boats are holding more blackfin tuna than bonito. Don’t forget to fish the bottom here too, mutton snapper like to linger under a shrimp boat that just tossed it’s by catch.
Tarpon fishing has not been easy. The fish are here but difficult to feed with a fly. The harbor guys are having more luck with hooking up using chum and by-catch to entice the bite.
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May 14, 2007 at 8:42 pm · Filed under Key West Flats Fishing, Key West Sport Fishing
Calm seas and smoke fill the skies over the Lower Keys. It’s hard to believe so many wildfires are burning throughout Florida. All we can do is hope for some rain in the forecast this week (which there is a 40% chance of here).
Offshore waters are producing some dolphin but many of the charter boats are heading way offshore to find the big boys. Wahoo and tuna are being caught west of Key West on some of the deeper structures while kingfish are around the reef.
May and June mark the spawn of mutton snapper in South Florida. The Keys are a great place to take advantage of this. Larger mutton snapper hug the outer bar to spawn and supposedly the best fishing is during the full moon. Many captains and guides swear it can be done day or night but sometimes the best action is just before and just after sunset.
Tarpon have made a big push into the Lower Keys from the Marquesas to Big Pine. They can be found cruising the outer edges of flats on the ocean, and there have been some spotted in the backcountry. Live crabs and pinfish will get you the bite and flies range from natural color toads to black and purple for early morning rolling fish.
Bonefishing has improved and there have been several nice schools of fish plus some pairs and singles spotted in the backcountry. Permit will start making their come back to the flats this month, there have been some nice fish taken on the flats this week already in the 16- pound range.
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May 3, 2007 at 2:31 pm · Filed under Key West Sport Fishing, Key West Deep Sea Fishing
Live bait and sailfishing go hand and hand this week in the Lower Keys. We’ve got fish in 100 to 400 feet of water with some tailing conditions. The live bait wins the fish!
There are some cobia on the color change and blackfin tuna and king mackerel along the reef. Bottom fishing for snapper and grouper has improved tremendously with the change in current and fluctuation of the Gulf Stream.
For those tarpon gurus, it’s still tough fishing here in the Lower Keys for tarpon. The harbor has plenty of them, so many fish you could walk over them. But they have not made a big move to the flats yet. Several guides are doing fine with catching one or two each day but no great numbers of fish have been reported yet.
Permit and bonefish are still plentiful in the backcountry and west of Key West. While permit do spawn offshore this time of year there are some on the flats that range from 10 to 17- pounds.
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April 23, 2007 at 2:05 pm · Filed under Key West Sport Fishing, Key West Deep Sea Fishing, Florida Fishing Weekly
KEY WEST - Key West was the host to the 5th Annual World Sailfish Championship this week. For a change high winds were not a factor in this years tournament. In fact the conditions were less than perfect for sailfishing. A calm sea and no current are two things that make pursuing sailfish very difficult.
Despite the flat calm conditions and westerly winds which are usually the kiss of death for our fishing, a record number of sailfish were released. The final tally of documented releases was 538 fish which meant that nearly ninety two percent of the boats caught fish.
Being in the right place was luck of the draw and for the winning team, Get Lit; it was not only luck but a history of tournament fishing that led them to yet another victory.
Captain Ray Rosher and his team pulled off another victory during their three days of fishing in Key West waters. Team Get Lit released a total of 14 sailfish releases during the three days of fishing. Close on their heels was the Steel Magnolia with 13 sailfish releases.
Rosher, captain of Get Lit, along with owner Christopher ‘’Kitt'’ Toomey, and anglers Jon Cooper, Peter Miller, Claudio Martinez and Kelly Mayo returned to Miami with winnings totaling $100,000 and first prize in this year’s tournament.
Carl Masiello, owner of the Spanish Gardens Motel in Key West fished aboard the 33- foot Contender Beautiful Bonds II with owners Nick and Suzie Trivisonno and local guide Captain Tony Murphy. Murphy, who runs charters on his own Contender, Key Limey, is a well-known light tackle guide out of Murray Marina.
Masiello explained that their tactics during the first day kept them close to Key West. Apparently the day prior Masiello and Murphy were out catching some additional baits and caught a glimpse of two sailfish jumping.
“That was a good sign,” Masiello said.
Finding a spot to fish between Marathon and Key West along the ‘sailfish highway’ sounds like an easy feat but factor in 110 boats and the power of the VHF radio and you’ll find that boats seemed to be congregated in specific areas hoping that their bait gets taken.
Suzie Trivisonno had lady luck on her side during this tournament. As an accomplished angler she is not new to tournament fishing. The first day Trivisonno released one fish out of four that they hooked.
The second day she released another sailfish. By that time it was apparent that they should gun for the women’s division on day three.
“The last day it was all up to Suzie,” Masiello said.
Trivisonno finished with four sailfish releases taking third place in the Women’s Division. The top lady angler with 8 releases went to Yalennie Vinas on Persistance and second place was awarded to Angie Wolf on Win-N-Angel. Wolf released 5 sailfish and also was recognized for tagging the most fish.
The World Sailfish event is a great tournament that benefits many charities. For more information about the tournament and for complete results visit their website at www.worldsailfish.com.
Besides a record number of sailfish releases the Key West offshore waters have had some other notable catches this week.
Captain Steve Magee on the Ramerezi out of Charter Boat Row in Key West nearly had an offshore slam this week. His anglers landed a blue marlin estimated at 150- pounds and a white marlin that was 60- pounds. The blue marlin was taken on 30- pound test on a dead bait. Magee was fishing an area called Middle Crack in 835 feet of water.
Magee also noted that several large dolphin were also being caught in the same area.
Reef and wreck fishing has improved. Mutton snapper should be gearing up to spawn in May and June. Permit are still occupying the wrecks and patch reefs in the Atlantic and Gulf but surprisingly there are still large permit being caught on the flats too.
The tarpon may need a little more time to warm up here in the Lower Keys. So far this year there have been only a handful of days where the shallow water tarpon fishing has been good. We’ve got a south east breeze now which will hopefully warm the water up for good and bring the tarpon in to feed.
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April 21, 2007 at 3:22 pm · Filed under Key West Sport Fishing, Key West Deep Sea Fishing
Key West was buzzing with offshore anglers this week for the 5th Annual World Sailfish Championship. Headquarters are at Mallory Square in Key West. Despite slow fishing in previous days, the tournament got off to a good start with a total of 169 sailfish released on Day One. For complete results visit www.worldsailfish.com .
DAY 1
1st place Sea Wolff – 7 sailfish
2nd place Wound Up – 7 sailfish
3rd place Vitamin Sea Too – 6 sailfish
4th place Get Lit – 6 sailfish
5th place Rod Holder – 5 sailfish
169 Total Sailfish Caught
Day 2
Steel Magnolia – 10 (3 the first day)
Miss Britt – 10 (4 the first day)
Sea Wolff – 9 ( 7 the first day)
Get Lit – 9 (6 the first day)
Wound Up – 8 ( 7 the first day)
For you tarpon anglers - the fish are beginning to move on the oceanside of the Keys. Whether this next front makes them disappear again is another story… stay tuned…
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April 5, 2007 at 9:42 pm · Filed under Key West Flats Fishing, Key West Sport Fishing, Florida Fishing Weekly
KEY WEST – Spending a few days on the water in the Florida Keys can often be the perfect cure for the winter-time blues. For those of you stuck in an office cubicle I feel your pain. But don’t feel so bad about being here this week, the wind has been howling, I mean howling, out of the north east and keeping a lot of boats dockside.
The water temperatures have not fluctuated much but the churned up waters of the Gulf of Mexico has made fishing on the flats and offshore somewhat concentrated on the Atlantic waters.
Inshore Gulf-side flats have been fishable on the outgoing tide for permit because they remain fairly clear, but once the tide switches it is a matter of just a few hours before visibility has diminished.
The ocean side flats of the Lower Keys have been fishing good for barracuda. On these somewhat cooler days the barracuda will stack up on the sandy ocean flats. These fish were very active in the beginning of the week. As the days progressed it seemed as though the barracuda were lure-shocked and became leary of flies and lures.
West of Key West the flats are reportedly clear inside the Lakes Passage out to Boca Grande Channel, mostly on the south side. This area has reportedly still fishing very good for large permit. Captain Peter Heydon out of Garrison Bight Marina had three consecutive days of good fishing where his angler landed a permit over 20- pounds on a live crab.
Other great opportunities in the shallow waters include redfish, cobia, large jacks and sharks. Redfish are not abundant in the Lower Keys but when the north winds blow for any amount of time these fish tend to push down onto our flats and also on patch reef areas in the Gulf.
Several captains have made these windy days fun for anglers with an action packed shark fishing trip. Shark fishing should never be overlooked for light tackle anglers as well as fly rodders. It’s a lot of fun to hook these dangerous creatures and feel their arm-burning first run. Spinner sharks are common during the winter months and these strong fish will jump and spin in the air when hooked, hence their nickname. The spinning motion of this shark is one way in which is catches it’s prey.
Speaking of sharks, the next MadFin Shark Series airs on April 9th on ESPN2 featuring the most exciting catch and release shark event yet. Many of our Key West light tackle guides and anglers are featured. Check it out.
Windy conditions were a factor in the offshore waters this week but it did not keep some of the larger sportfishing boats from giving it their best for the tug of an Atlantic sailfish. Yes, at long last the sailfish bite is picking up a bit.
“It’s about time,” said Captain Bennett Taylor on the Outer Limits.
Taylor’s 41- foot sportfisher has given him an advantage this week by offering anglers a more comfortable ride to the fishing grounds. Earlier in the week there were what is called tailing conditions for sailfish. This term is for when the east wind and east current push the sailfish to the surface and they can be seen “riding” down the waves. It can be a very productive time to fish for sailfish too.
Taylor had several multiple sailfish days. He was using live threadfin herring and utilizing a kite and drifting with the current.
There has been no defined color change and now that the eastbound current has been slowing down, the water is not as clear.
Captain Rush Maltz on Odyssea out of Murray Marina has been hiding from the rough seas in closer to the reef. Maltz had a great catch consisting of 14 mutton snapper and some grouper.
Maltz says these bottom fish can be finicky.
“It depends on whether they want to eat or not,” Maltz said.
Maltz does admit that sailfishing is the easiest thing to do in these rougher seas and high winds. Drifting downwind and with the current he uses both thread herring and pilchards to entice the bite.
In addition to landing a few sailfish this week, Maltz found a few dolphin that were willing to eat too.
So what is in store for April? Historically it is some of the best fishing available. You name it. Fish offshore for sailfish, wreck fishing for permit, flats fishing for tarpon, and reef fishing for grouper and snapper.
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April 2, 2007 at 5:13 pm · Filed under Key West Flats Fishing, Key West Sport Fishing, Key West Deep Sea Fishing
Windy conditions are beginning to subside in the Lower Keys. At long last after nearly two weeks of 20 mph winds we’re getting a break. Blue skies and temps in the low 80s make for a wonderful day.
Permit fishing still remains active with plenty of big permit on the flats feeding like crazy. This will start to diminish towards the middle of the month. Permit take their spring hiatus to the offshore waters to spawn and will return to the flats close to mid-June.
Tarpon fishing should bust wide open any day now. Tarpon are already being spotted in deeper basins and are being fished for on light tackle in the Northwest Channel and in Key West Harbor areas. Look for the backcountry flats and oceanside flats to be flooded with them soon. Fly fishing for tarpon is something that attracts so many anglers this time of year. April through June is considered the high season for tarpon but don’t rule out July as one of the best months to chase the silver king.
Offshore fishing has been increasingly better for sailfish. Sailfish migrate into the Key West area in search food and good water temps. The Gulfstream has moved in close to Key West over the past week and brings more activity in the form of sailfish, mahi-mahi, and other migratory fish. Bottom dwelling fish like snapper and grouper have been fishing okay but with some changes in the current this type of fishing could be a lot better.
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February 24, 2007 at 6:47 pm · Filed under Key West Flats Fishing, Key West Sport Fishing, Florida Fishing Weekly
KEY WEST - Key West weather was certainly a factor for all types of fishing this week. Cloudy skies, fronts moving in and out, and rain kept some boats at the dock. There are always a few brave souls who need to feel the tug of a fish on their line. Those few were rewarded with some good fishing offshore.
The wahoo bite has tapered off but there are still some healthy fish being caught on the calmer days.
Captain Bennett Taylor on the Outer Limits had an action packed day of fishing offshore this week. In his medley of fish were two sailfish, a 45- pound wahoo, king mackerel and tuna.
“We had four fat blackfins over 20- pounds,” Taylor said.
There have not been too many large tuna in the area since late November so these fish were certainly a welcome sight.
In addition Taylor’s anglers landed a few dolphin that were worth keeping.
Captain Chris Lembo on Incognito out of Murray Marina has been spending his time on the reef edge and inside the reef. Lembo runs a 27- foot Contender and for several of the rougher weather days fishing inside the reef proved both comfortable for his anglers and productive for fishing.
“There has been a lot of current inside the reef,” Lembo said.
Lembo has been taking advantage of this unusual current fishing for yellowtail snapper, mutton snapper and grouper. He also mentioned there have been some cobia near by and they have landed a few of them.
This is one of the best times of the year for cobia. They are caught in the Lower Keys all year long but school up in the winter months. Their prime water temperature seems to be close to 72 degrees.
Lembo has been splitting his day between the reef and offshore waters when the weather permits. Slow trolling for sailfish and deep dropping for tilefish are among his afternoon activities.
Captain Jake Perry on Mean Green has a similar program for his full day charters. Perry joined with several other light tackle guides out of Murray Marina have been entertaining a group from the Shimano corporation. Each year Shimano field tests some of its new products in one of the most versatile fisheries in the United States, right here in Key West, FL.
Perry noted he has had some good luck fishing on the reef edge for yellowtail snapper and cero mackerel. He’ll fish this way for the early part of the day and then move offshore to 130- feet and anchor.
“The blue water has been doing some crazy things,” Perry said describing the water clarity.
“Conditions seemed to change fast; blue powdery water was quickly replaced by clear blue water,” Perry said. “The clear blue water came with a ripping current,” he added.
Perry explained that he had seen these conditions before but very rarely. The current was almost kicking blue water up onto the reef in swirls.
The end result, a good sailfish bite. Perry hooked two that day and landed one on a live pilchard. He noted that several other boats reported hooking sailfish on live thread herring while fishing the rips in 130- feet or less.
For more information on fishing with Captain Jake Perry visit his website at www.meangreenfishing.com.
The inshore waters and flats have been the most challenging this week since the skies were mostly overcast. The best way to make this type of day productive on the flats is to fish where a flat drops into deeper water. Blind casting a tube lure or artificial will nearly always get eaten by a barracuda or a lively jack crevalle.
The water temperature registered 70.1 degrees in the backcountry off Sugarloaf Key yesterday. That is a bit cold for tarpon and bonefish but there is always hope that a few sunny days will get the game fish moving up on the flats again.
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